Preceptorship

My last NCW (nursing care worksheet) ever. I truly hate those things! 

I was more then excited to start my precetorship because I wanted more time to see if I really did want to be a Labor and Delivery nurse. My first day I did postpartum. I love love love love love love love postpartum. I think my child development background and doing my internship with Parents as Teachers really made my love grow working with moms and their children. That is exactly what postpartum is. I get to make sure they are healthy and I get to teach moms about their babies. Even experienced moms have questions and being there to answer and support them as parents is by far the most rewarding paying job ever.

It was the first time I could walk into a room and not worry about not knowing the answer to questions or wondering what else I could really do. I knew what was going on. I knew the answers to everyone's questions (minus policy questions) and I was confident in my role without my nurse. That has not happened in any other semesters.

I was kind of let down with the hospital at first. It was very old school. Things we learned in school was oh you wont ever do it this way, was the way the hospital had it. It just scared me a bit. More errors are made the old way and you have to be even more careful then careful. My thought about labor and postpartum have changed drastically since this semester. I am even at the point of switching back to an OB from the midwives. When you learn and see what really goes down each day in the world of labor it is scary and sad! Walking out of a room with a healthy mom and baby is such a relief each and every time it happens. Thankfully I didn't experience anything too tramatic and we were able to keep everyone well but there were way too many close calls. I mean super close calls.

I really like labor and delivery but there are so many things we didn't learn. I now understand why hospitals rarely hire inexperienced L&D nurses. I think I would be more comfortable getting on postpartum and getting experience with labor before working full time there. I need to learn and expereince so much more before I think I could be confident enough to be the nurse.

I ended up loving every shift. It was hard on my pregnant body but I wasn't alone. Nurses are mainly women which means lots of pregnant mamas working. You don't get off easy. You are expected to work. So I did. I loved it. I don't think I will be looking for employment at that hospital but I will try my hardest to get onto maternity. That is by far the best nursing job there is. Hands down.